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Show -H-H-v'M-I 1 I 1 I I I I I 1 1 1 I I 1 I M-f POINTS ON KEEPING WELL DR. FREDERICK R. GREEN Editor of "HEALTH" fr-H-H-i I I I 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 I (, 1925. Western Newspaper Union.) DO SEEDS CAUSE APPENDICITIS? AP-PENDICITIS? ONE of the widespread popular beliefs be-liefs is that seeds cause appendicitis. appendi-citis. This idea is inherited by the public from doctors, who, early in the history of our present-day knowledge of the disease, thought that inflammation inflamma-tion of the appendix was due to small foreign bodies getting into the appendix appen-dix and causing irritation. In many instances, among the first j cases operated on, seeds or small, hard masses of food were found in the appendix ap-pendix after it was removed. From this, many surgeons assumed that the seeds were responsible. Larger experience expe-rience has shown that the presence of these substances was accidental and had nothing to do with the disease Itself. It-self. Appendicitis is sometimes referred to by newspaper paragraphers and joke editors, as a recent invention of doctors or as a new disease. The question is often asked "Why did no one ever bear of appendicitis until a comparatively few years ago? Bless your heart, they did, and many of them died of it. Only the doctors of 50 years ago didn't call it appendicitis. appen-dicitis. They called it "inflammation of the bowels," and they gave their patients opium to control the pain until they got well or died. You see, they didn't dare open the abdomen, to find out what was goiug on inside. It was not until Pasteur and Lister showed surgeons how any part of tlie body could be opened up and closed again without injury to the patient, that anything any-thing could be done for such conditions. con-ditions. Seeds are occasionally found in the appendix, but only rarely. Murphy, of Chicago, found them in less than 2 per cent of his cases. Bryant of New York, another great surgeon, said they only occurred in about one-half of 1 per cent or one case out of two hundred. hun-dred. Appendicitis is the result of indigestion. indi-gestion. But every one has Indigestion. Indiges-tion. Why doesn't every one have appendicitis? ap-pendicitis? Because some fortunate persons have a very liberal blood supply sup-ply to the appendix. They can stand an occasional inflammation without harm. But a person who has small arteries or whose appendix is twisted and narrow, doesn't get off so easily. A small amount of swelling will shut off the blood vessels. Then tlie appendix softens and breaks and peritonitis results. re-sults. How do you know whether you are In the lucky or the unlucky group? You don't. But if you are past forty-five forty-five and have never had it, you needn't worry. You probably never will have It. Most cases occur between ten and forty-five. During these years, don't overeat and avoid Indigestion. |